Estonia reports 485 youths missing school enrolment deadline

As of Friday, 485 compulsory-age young people who had completed basic school had not been entered in Estonia’s Education Information System, ERR reported. Municipal officials will now work with their families individually to identify the reasons and offer suitable solutions.

Thursday was the deadline for all Estonian schools to enter the details of their students into the system. The Education Ministry said 485 young people nationwide had not been registered.

Although the figure appears high, it is lower than the number of young people who did not continue their education after basic school last year. The ministry said 709 people under the age of 18 had not continued studying after completing basic school last autumn.

In Tallinn, the country’s largest municipality, the Haridussilm education data portal showed 245 young people without a school place on Friday morning. Krista Keedus, head of the Tallinn Education Department’s education organisation division, said the actual number could be lower because of technical delays.

“I know that schools have found it difficult to enter students into the system, so there may simply be fewer of them for technical reasons,” Keedus said.

Keedus said every young person without a school place was a problem, but noted that more than 400 young people in Tallinn had previously failed to continue their studies after basic school. In that sense, she said, the current situation was relatively good.

There are several reasons why young people in Tallinn remain without a school place. One key issue is that they did not secure their preferred school. Keedus said this reflected a mismatch between the wishes of young people and their parents and the actual results.

“Parents have contacted us who would like their children to continue in upper secondary school, but whose basic school results, most often their mathematics examination result, are not sufficient for continuing in upper secondary school,” Keedus said.

She added that an exam could fail for objective reasons, but said many students had not recognised at basic school that continuing their education required consistent work and good results.

Weak Estonian-language skills are also a problem for many young people in Tallinn, particularly those from schools transitioning to Estonian-language education.

Officials advise accepting any school place

Young people without a school place still have opportunities to continue their education this autumn, Keedus said.

One option is preparatory education, in which around 200 young people in Tallinn have already enrolled, according to the Education Ministry. Enrolment remains open, and Keedus said there were still places available.

“Preparatory education is suitable for someone who wants, for example, to retake a basic school examination. It is also certainly suitable for those whose Estonian has been weak,” Keedus said.

She said many of those still without a school place had come from schools transitioning to Estonian-language education, making weak Estonian skills a common obstacle.

For young people arriving from foreign countries, particularly those with Ukrainian backgrounds, Keedus recommended the preparatory education programme at Tallinn Tõnismäe State Gymnasium, also known as Vabaduse School.

If the lack of a study place resulted from a single failed examination, young people could also consider vocational education or vocational secondary education, Keedus said.

“Admission to some programmes at Teko, or Tallinn Service School, is still open. Perhaps a young person will find something there,” she said.